Valerie Bertinelli Credits Breakup for Going ‘Down Another Jean Size’

Making a change for herself. Valerie Bertinelli broke down how prioritizing her mental health influenced her personal journey.

“So it’s getting about time for me to probably go down another jean size. I can’t believe it. And this all started in November, the month I got free,” the Food Network star, 62, wrote via Instagram on Friday, June 9. “And I started really concentrating on my emotional and mental health. And when I started doing that, I started caring about the nutrition that I put in my body more.”

Bertinelli credited her split from Tom Vitale for inspiring her to make some lifestyle changes.

“The harsh words and abuse can never be unheard and taken back, but here’s the thing, I wouldn’t have taken them in and believed them in the first place, if I hadn’t been saying harsh and unkind words to myself first,” the One Day at a Time alum, whose divorce was finalized in November 2022, added.

In the lengthy social media caption, Bertinelli also broke down her new outlook on food.

“Caring not so much about calories but what are in those calories? Am I getting enough fiber? Am I getting enough protein? Am I getting enough vitamins, naturally, in my food? Am I drinking too much? What makes me feel better? What makes my body feel better? Keyword, FEEL better,” she continued. “I’m really starting to love myself. Deep down. All this to say I have a lot to talk about and will continue to do so. Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Please be kind to yourselves. You deserve it. We all do. We are enough. ????✌????.”

The Emmy winner later clarified that she was not looking to offer “diet advice” on her platform.

“This is the little girl I want to take care of right now. The perpetual people pleaser,” she captioned a Saturday, June 10, Instagram post, which featured photos of Bertinelli as a child. “So please don’t come to me for diet advice. I have failed more times than I have succeeded. Releasing weight is a nice side effect for sure, but this journey has to be, for me, much more than that this time.”

Bertinelli went on to say that she has remained focused on her emotional journey first and foremost.

“I feel lighter even though I’m pretty much around the same weight I was when I started Jenny Craig 16 years ago! So it is not about the number on the scale. My heart is lighter. My head is lighter. I want to feel my feelings, even though they can be scary sometimes, and I do my best to get to the other side of them,” she continued. “What I don’t want to do is numb or avoid my feelings with food and alcohol any longer. That is the road I’m on and doing my best to stay on.”

The post concluded: “I want to live the rest of my life truly happy, finding the deep joy within me, and not just faking it until I make it. We all deserve a life full of deep internal joy that we can then share with others. We’ve got this. We are enough. ????✌????.”

Us Weekly confirmed in November 2022 that Bertinelli reached a divorce settlement with Vitale. According to documents obtained by Us, the actress was ordered to pay her ex-husband $2.2 million even though they had a prenuptial agreement in place.

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The former couple started dating in 2004 after being introduced through Bertinelli’s brother Patrick. Vitale popped the question six years later and they exchanged vows in January 2011. The nuptials marked Bertinelli’s second marriage following her union with the late Eddie Van Halen. (The musician died at age 65 in October 2020 after a battle with cancer.)